RT News - January 19th 2023

Moscow's ambassador to the US accuses Washington of giving approval to Kiev for attacks on Russian territory, as civilian areas in Donetsk are once again shelled by Ukrainian forces.

In a shift away from the US dollar, Saudi Arabia says it is ready to consider export deals in other national currencies to improve global trade.

A religious research group sounds the alarm over a rising number of Christians killed in Africa because of their faith, amid concerns of increasing religiously motivated violence around the world.

The UN warns of a dangerous cycle of violence in Palestine, as West Bank families speak out against the Israeli government's refusal to hand over the bodies of their deceased relatives.

(QS basic only post this morning as I have internet hic-ups. Hopefully back to normal later, may post a short again to include usual updates on regular news posts, if i8t will stay stable long enough)
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1) --- Germany wants US to send tanks to Ukraine first – WSJ
A) --- US encouraging terrorist acts against Russia – ambassador
C) --- US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT
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19 Jan, 2023 05:31

A) --- US encouraging terrorist acts against Russia – ambassador

Moscow said it will not tolerate strikes on its soil after US officials declared that “Crimea is Ukraine”

Russia’s Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has warned against future Ukrainian attacks on the Crimean Peninsula, insisting his country would respond in force after Washington suggested Kiev may employ its Western arms to attack the region.

Asked to comment on recent remarks from US State Department spokesman Ned Price, who insisted Crimea is still Ukrainian territory despite Russia’s control over the area for the better part of a decade, Antonov warned against “militant” rhetoric from the United States, saying it only risks further escalation.

“The State Department, through out-of-touch assertions that ‘Crimea is Ukraine’ and that the Armed Forces of Ukraine can use American weapons to protect their territory, is essentially pushing the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia,” the envoy said on Wednesday night. “Hearing such remarks from Washington, the criminals in Kiev will once again feel complete permissiveness. The risks of conflict escalation will only increase.”

During a press briefing earlier on Wednesday, Price was questioned about whether Washington had ever placed “limits” on Ukrainian strikes, maintaining that the US is “of course not making targeting decisions on behalf of our Ukrainian partners” and that “these decisions are up to them.” He said Kiev is free to select its own targets, including in Crimea, which he argued “is Ukraine” – reiterating Washington’s refusal to accept Moscow’s claim to the region.

The spokesman’s comments followed a New York Times report indicating that the White House is increasingly willing to help Kiev to strike the peninsula, citing a number of unnamed US officials. President Joe Biden, however, is reportedly still refusing to provide the long-range missiles needed for a full-on attack, instead hoping that lighter arms and vehicles might suffice for a major counteroffensive.

Antonov went on to say that no amount of Western aid would stop Moscow’s military operation, arguing “we will destroy any weapons supplied to [President Vladimir] Zelensky’s regime by either the United States or NATO.”

“Is it really incomprehensible to anyone else that pumping weapons into Ukraine, be it American or other NATO countries, will only lead to an increase in civilian casualties and create additional difficulties in the former Soviet republic?” he added.

Crimea held a referendum to reunify with Russia in 2014, after Ukraine’s Euromaidan revolution and the overthrow of the country’s elected leader, Viktor Yanukovich. The region is historically Russian territory and has served as the headquarters for Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet since the late 18th century, though was transferred to Kiev’s administrative control in 1954 under Soviet rule. Along with Washington, Ukraine’s Western backers have declined to recognize Russian control of the peninsula.
https://www.rt.com/russia/570109-us-terrorist-acts-russia/
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19 Jan, 2023 04:13

C) --- US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT

Publicly, Washington has so far avoided endorsing Kiev's attacks inside Russian territory

The US government is weighing whether to supply Ukraine with the capability to attack the strategically important Crimean Peninsula, according to the New York Times. The discussions highlight a gradual shift among US officials toward more brazen support for Kiev, even as Washington insists it does not seek confrontation with Moscow.

Following months of hesitation, the White House is now warming to the idea that Ukraine may “need the power” for strikes deep inside Russian territory, namely its military stronghold in Crimea, the Times reported on Wednesday, citing several unnamed US officials.

“American officials are discussing with their Ukrainian counterparts the use of American-supplied weapons, from HIMARS rocket systems to Bradley fighting vehicles, to possibly target … Crimea,” the outlet said, adding that Washington “has come to believe that if the Ukrainian military can show Russia that its control of Crimea can be threatened, that would strengthen Kiev’s position in any future negotiations.”

Despite Moscow’s heavy fortifications on the peninsula, which hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and other military bases, Crimea remains a “major focus” of Ukrainian battleplans, according to the Times. It is unclear exactly how Washington hopes to assist attacks on the region, but the outlet suggested the decision to supply Kiev with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles showed willingness to help Ukraine “go on the offense – including targeting Crimea.”

Alongside troop transports provided by France and Germany, the military vehicles “could be the vanguard of an armored force that Ukraine could employ in a counteroffensive this winter or spring,” unnamed “government and independent analysts” told the Times.

However, even as the White House allegedly considers supporting attacks on Russian soil, President Joe Biden continues to refuse Ukrainian requests for longer-range missiles and heavy battle tanks that could be used in a future offensive. He has previously warned that such aid could provoke direct hostilities with Moscow and even kick off a nuclear war, though such concerns appear to be slowly waning as the conflict drags on.

“The fear of escalation has changed since the beginning,” an unnamed US defense source told a British newspaper last month, suggesting the Pentagon had “given a tacit endorsement of Ukraine’s long-range attacks on targets inside Russia.”

While State Department spokesman Ned Price insisted on Wednesday that the US is not placing any “limits” on Ukrainian strikes or “making targeting decisions” on Kiev’s behalf, the latest discussions at the White House may indicate a shift in opinion among some officials.

Historically a Russian territory from the late 18th century until its transfer to Ukraine under Soviet authorities in 1954, Crimea held a referendum to reunify with Russia following the Euromaidan coup of 2014. Kiev and its Western backers have refused to recognize the vote, however, and say the peninsula is still rightfully Ukrainian land, with President Vladimir Zelensky reiterating hopes for the “reconquest” of the region last month.

Russian officials have repeatedly stated that the goals of the military operation in Ukraine would be completed no matter how long it takes. Amid Kiev’s repeated requests for longer-range weapons, Moscow warned Washington and other NATO states that such supplies would cross a “red line” and make them “a direct party to the conflict.”

President Vladimir Putin made it clear, following referendums in Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions in September, that Moscow would defend not only Crimea but all new territories “with full force and all means at our disposal.”
https://www.rt.com/news/570108-us-ukraine-crimea-strikes/
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19 Jan, 2023 00:53

1) --- Germany wants US to send tanks to Ukraine first – WSJ

Only when the US sends its own tanks will Berlin approve Leopards going to Kiev, officials allegedly said

As demands for Berlin to approve the shipment of Leopard main battle tanks to Kiev threatened to fracture the German ruling coalition, senior officials said the US should agree to send its Abrams tanks first, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Poland, Finland and Denmark have all volunteered to send some of the Leopards in their possession to the Ukrainian military, but such a move would require Germany’s permission. Berlin has yet to receive any formal requests to that effect, officials told the Journal.

“Senior German officials” told the outlet that Germany would be willing to give approval, but only if the US announced it would send Kiev some of its own Abrams MBTs.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has described Germany as “strategically interlocked” with its friends and partners when it came to decisions on how to support Ukraine. Asked on Wednesday about the Leopard situation, Scholz told the World Economic Forum in Davos that he was concerned about the conflict in Ukraine escalating.

“The Ukrainians can rely on our support in their courageous fight but it is also clear that we want to avoid this becoming a war between Russia and NATO,” he said.

While insisting that they are not parties to the conflict, the US and its allies have also argued that “Russia must lose” and supplied Kiev with money and an array of increasingly heavier weapons.

Scholz’s coalition is reportedly split on the issue, with the Greens and Free Democrats in favor of giving Ukraine Leopards right away, while his own Social-Democrats are reluctant. Defense Minister Christine Lambert resigned this week, in part due to the tank controversy. Her replacement, Boris Pistorius, admitted on Wednesday that Germany was “indirectly” involved in the conflict but would not comment on the Leopard affair.

Getting Abrams tanks from the US has long been the goal of Ukraine’s Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov, who told Politico in October that the Leopard was a stepping stone on that road.

According to the same outlet, Washington is reportedly unwilling to take that step at the moment, though not out of fear of further antagonizing Russia. Unnamed Pentagon officials told Politico on Wednesday that the issue is with the “logistical and maintenance challenges” of the Abrams, a 67-ton machine with a gas-guzzling turbine engine.

On Monday, the UK announced it would send 14 of its Challenger II MBTs, in hopes of nudging other NATO members to follow suit. The single squadron appears to be all the British Army is willing to spare at the moment, though a Tory MP admitted on Wednesday that Kiev needs hundreds to actually make a difference.

Moscow has repeatedly warned the West that sending weapons to Ukraine only prolongs the inevitable and risks escalation. Asked about the Challengers on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that “those tanks can burn and they will burn like the rest.”
https://www.rt.com/news/570106-germany-us-tanks-first-ukraine/
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